Tie rod ends for steering systems of motor vehicles are already known. The patent of the U.S. Pat. No. 4,028,784, granted on Jun. 14, 1977, to William D. Allison, entitled xe2x80x9cPreloaded Tie Rod End Assemblyxe2x80x9d (Pre loaded tie rod end structure); the patent of the U.S. Pat. No. 4,059,361, granted on Nov. 22, 1977 to William D. Allison, entitled xe2x80x9cTie Rod Endxe2x80x9d; the patent of the U.S. Pat. No. 4,162,859, granted on Jul. 31, 1979, to Lloyd O. McAfee entitled xe2x80x9cVehicle Steering Knuckle Arm Angle Compensator,xe2x80x9d and the patent of the U.S. Pat. No. 5,066,160, granted on Nov. 19, 1991, to Lloyd O. McAfee, entitled xe2x80x9cBall Jointxe2x80x9d (spherical articulation) as sample patents. None of these patents address the problem which this invention solves.
It is known that vibration affects tie rod ends and that it is transmitted to the tube. In some extreme cases, it provokes the tie rod assembly to fracture. General specifications for tie rod ends exist (e.SAE J193) and most of the current systems meet them. However, fractures of the tie rod assemblies have been reported recently and their catastrophic consequences make imperious the necessity to solve this problem, and there are no existing references that outline an intent to solve it. These fractures are the result of vibrations whose causes have not been clearly determined, but may be related to braking, suspension systems or road conditions. However, the present invention has the objective of absorbing these vibrations to avoid the fractures of the tie rod assemblies.
In accordance with this, the present invention provides means to absorb or to reduce in a significant way, the vibrations in all directions.